Leveraging Mobile Technology

With over 70 percent of 911 calls now being placed by wireless callers -- and no reliable way to pin a mobile phone number to a specific location -- it is difficult to see how next-generation mobile services can be life-saving. But they can, and here’s how.

Take, for example, the increase in Voice over IP (VoIP) phone services and 4G capabilities, such as sending an EMT a picture of an accident prior to their arrival or explaining emergency procedures with a caller via video. Such technologies can significantly improve mission-critical communication capabilities when data, images or video are transmitted in a 911 call to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP). Compare this with today’s emergency services (E911), in which the public can only make emergency voice calls or teletype calls, both of which only deliver a minimal amount of data, and it’s a no-brainer.

However, integrating Emergency Services IP Networks, or ESInets, with legacy networks requires that PSAPs be able to handle video, streaming, data, texts and voice – not to mention the critical ability to identify the location of a mobile or VoIP phone – which is no easy feat. So how are public safety leaders addressing the challenges of how to move to next-generation emergency services, and what do they need to know in managing the transition?

The Future of Emergency Calling Standards

In an effort to improve emergency communications, the Next Generation 911 initiative (NG911), spearheaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, offers great promise in dramatically improving emergency response capabilities. It has the goal of incorporating next-generation mobile capabilities into existing PSAPs as a way to expand the range of ways callers can transmit emergency information. In the NG911 environment, the public will be able to make a wide range of emergency “calls” including voice, text and video, from any device – wired or wireless – over Internet Protocol (IP) networks. In addition, PSAPs will be able to obtain data from personal safety devices like medical alert systems and sensors. Not only do these services support a constantly increasing mobile user base, but they also support the deaf and hearing impaired, who frequently communicate via text message, as well as non-English speaking callers.

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is also setting the stage for the future of emergency calling. Its recent approval of the i3 standard, a long-term plan to ensure that all public safety networks are transitioned successfully from legacy networks to next-generation IP networks, would allow for more advanced services like video, streaming, data, text and voice communications to be used in emergency calls. The protocol for delivering these “calls” across the ESInet will be the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), or IP Multimedia Subsystem (News - Alert) (IMS, which incorporates SIP). The functional and interface standards developed by NENA describe general SIP and IMS-based architectures that offer agencies flexibility in developing an infrastructure to support the envisioned future (and features) of NG911 calling.

Public safety agencies are thinking about how best to transition to NG911, but with over 6,000 PSAPs in the U.S., transitioning every single PSAP from TDM to IP comes with its challenges – budget being top of mind. The goal of many PSAPs is to become part of a larger regional network that include other PSAPs, thereby reducing the CapEx and OpEx burden and leveraging shared resources to connect various emergency call centers. This could take place in a physical or virtual manner, with several counties working together to consolidate their physical networks, or via virtual IP networks. If executed correctly, the economic and operational advantages of NG911 networks will be significant.

The TDM to IP Transition

There are two options for transitioning from TDM to IP. The first option is for public safety agencies to run two networks in parallel – a TDM and an IP network – until they do the switchover. However, this is hardware-intensive, so it can be very expensive and inefficient.

The second option considers not just the replication of what their networks can accomplish today, but what their networks can accomplish in the future. That way, as new services are introduced they can build on their network rather than having to recreate it again in the future. This option entails implementing the right network equipment that can support both TDM and IP services, so that they can complete today’s E911 services, while transitioning to new NG911 services – without incurring capital expenses. As such, this is a far more attractive option.

Building on Existing Networks: What to Consider

In considering building on top of their existing network, PSAPs should be aware of key network features that can support both TDM and IP. These include the following: